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 Posted: Sat Apr 03, 2010 9:52 pm
These were the days that Gabriel didn't really like a whole lot. These days were when he and his brother didn't get to do any fun, but had to stand at a shoddy little cardboard stand that was covered in bits and pieces of recovered jewelry and little collages that his brother had made out of pieces of broken tile that had been carefully glued together. Gabriel, on the other hand, he didn't really know how to make anything. He knew how to attract people, though; his voice was magic like that, in one way or another. That or it was just how absurdly adorable the little boy was.
"Come one, come aww!! Wawe mismatchy jewewies an' tiwe-fingies 'Amie made!! Somebo'y shouwd buy some!!" Gabriel squeaked out, trying to get peoples' attentions by wiggling the little wings on top of his head or by flapping his arms and wriggling his tail all around. Unfortunately, nothing seemed to be doing the trick, but he was sure that someone would notice eventually. Someone would have to notice eventually so they could get some good foods that night. Gabriel made a silent promise to himself: Yes. They would sell some of these trinkets tonight. Period.
Damien sat on a small, pilfered stool a little bit behind the cardboard stand, working on another tile picture and pretending he didn't exist. He hated Sell-Stuff-For-Food Day as much as Gabriel; all of his stupid crappy stuff out there with Gabby lying to people about how good they were. Honestly, part of him thought that the tile shards were better off how he had found them, but he had to get some food, at least for Gabriel. So he suffered in silence, fangs occasionally pushing through his lip as he kept himself from smashing the stand with great effort. It'd be over soon, he just had to hold on...
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Posted: Sat Apr 03, 2010 11:05 pm
"So, how do you like the town?" Ephron Falco asked the small spawn child at his side as the two of them made their way down the street. It was getting to be evening by this point, but the sky still shown as brightly with the sun as if it were noon. The man made note of how long they had been walking around the town, taking in the new sight: a good four or five hours, and Nina had not complained yet with fatigue. True, they had taken a few breaks here and there, but Ephron was beginning to wonder whether or not Nina was feeling okay.
Nina made a slight face and shrugged in response. She was about to give a verbal answer when, suddenly, a voice that seemed to carry over all the bustling of the streets, catching her attention. She glanced up, realizing that her guardian was quietly trying to find the source as well. It was obvious whoever it was couldn't have been very old at all, and yet, they were upholding a sidewalk stand?
Nina jerked slightly, tugging on Ephron's cloak as she spotted the two small spawn. "There!" she said, curious and yet reluctant all at once. She hadn't really communicated with any other of her own kind aside from her "sister," and wasn't exactly sure what to expect. Besides, what were they doing way out here without a parent? She was confused, to say the least.
The two of them wandered over to the display. Ephron was concerned, but it wasn't as if he hadn't seen similar circumstance before on his travels. He glanced down at the assortment that was being sold, still for a moment before crouching down to eye-level with Gabriel. "What have you got here?" he asked, smiling.
Nina hesitated, standing back a bit. She wasn't really sure what she was suppose to do, so ended up alternating her weight on either foot and glancing at the brothers' wares through the corner of her eye.
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Posted: Sun Apr 04, 2010 12:08 am
Gabriel was very obviously excited when the two approached their little stand, bouncing on his dinosaur feet happily as they got close enough for there to be proof that the twins had actually caught their attention instead of it being something else that they were interested in, like a spooky man in a big coat or an abandoned penny. Gabriel's horned tail flicked back and forth happily and he smiled toothily at the man who knelt next to their little shabby stand.
"Got wotsa fings!! Wike... my bwuvvew makes pi'tures out'ta tiwes, so we'we sewwin' dose. An' we found wotsa diff'went jew'wy and stuff wike dat. Daminen even put some back togevvew or togevvew in diff'went ways," Gabriel explained, the wings on his head as well as his ears standing at attention, very intent on reeling in this customer in the hopes of maybe being able to even get some kinda dessert-thing tonight, or to go out to dinner for once!!
Damien looked up from his crafting at the excitement in Gabriel's voice, and started as he saw that someone was actually looking to buy his things. As his brother sang the item's praises, Damien felt sick to his stomach. His hands clenched, and he stepped to the side to keep from scaring the person off. That had happened before, and seeing as how he liked to eat, Damien had taken precautions to keep it from happening again.
As he edged away, he caught sight of a very odd-looking girl, but not odd-looking in a bad way. Taking a deep breath, he somehow pulled a smile out from underneath all his uncomfortable as he sidled up beside her, staring at the ground before muttering cutely. "'L-Lo... You wanna buy some jewews? D-Dere good, eben dough I made 'em..." Given Damien's combination, this was the equivalent of calling his little tiles the second Sistine Chapel.
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Posted: Mon Apr 12, 2010 5:47 pm
Ephron examined the items as Gabriel pointed them all out, one at a time. He rested his chin and mouth in his hand, his mind relating the materials that he saw with what the toddler was explaining. Nodding, he responded to Gabriel after a short deliberation, "These are really creative! I don't think I've ever seen a picture put together quite like this before." He leaned slightly closer, just to inspect the detail of the piece better, before rocking back. "Your brother seems to be able to see ordinary things in new ways, creative ways. Y'know, if he kept at it, he could make a lot of money off of his artwork someday," he mused aloud, bringing to mind various stories he had heard on his travels, though never quite the exact same.
It was true -- there were many people out in the world that enjoyed the bizarre -- but Damien's crafts, at least some of them, were even functional on an everyday basis.
As Nina was listening to what was going on in the conversation before her, she was almost entirely taken by surprise when Gabriel's brother seemed to just appear next to her. She visibly flinched, though attempted to cover it up by scratching at a nonexistent itch on the side of her arm. She felt a little flustered, but at least she wasn't angry about feeling slightly vulnerable, being caught off-guard.
"Hnn?" she mumbled at the question, twitching her eyes back to the display of goods so that she could answer. She didn't like being put on the spot, but maybe it was her fault for not attributing all of her attention to the shop, spending most of her time pretending to be a bystander. Her eyes caught sight of a necklace decorated with clear plastic beads, and quickly nodded in response, pointing to it. "That one's really pretty!" she stated, turning her deep red eyes back to Damien. It wasn't too much of a surprise, as she had grown a fondness for beads in her short time with Ephron. "Did you make all of these?" she asked, her eyes growing wider as she remembered what she had overheard.
Ephron, despite not turning back to check on Nina's conversation, smiled as he heard pieces of the words that were exchanged. At least she was getting along with them, much better than she had when she had first met him. He winked at Gabriel, "I just might have to buy something from you two after all!"
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Posted: Mon May 31, 2010 9:10 pm
Gabriel grinned on and on like he was being praised for all of this and not his brother, who would likely cringe at the thought of his artwork receiving any kind of praise. After all, Gabriel was the one who was talking to people and attracting attention and making them want to look at all of the things his crafty brother made. In the end, the boy could probably sell hole-filled socks and still make the same amount of money off of those. It was all about selling it, and not about making it, which was why Gabriel was going to get the ending praise, and it was still Gabriel who was winning them the money in the first place.
Gabriel's tailed flicked back and forth behind him happily as he watched the man, pointing out whatever interesting things there were about his brother's jewelry with the flare of a carnie. "Reawwy?! Dat's wunnerful!!" Gabriel exclaimed happily, the wings on his head flapping out their joy, mussing up his hair even more than it had been already. "Which one d'you want? 'Cause they'we aww pwetty good, but some of 'em awe bettew and I got'ta make suwe you's getting a good one!!"
Damien couldn't blame Nina for being uncomfortable around him; he was terrible, after all. Only great people like Gabriel could be not uncomfortable around him. He picked at a scab on the side of his arm as well, already regretting this attempt at being a salesperson. He probably just managed to scare her away...
Damien was surprised by NIna's reaction, eyes widening as she asked her question. He also didn't do well with being put on the spot, and so stuttered and fidgeted for a good half a minute before replying in a mumble. "Yeah... 'S not so pwetty, dough... Bettew a'fore." He shrugged, tail flipping back and forth in agitation. "'S wut I'd be good at 'f I was good at anyfing."
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Posted: Sat Jun 05, 2010 7:39 pm
Ephron waved his hands slightly, in an attempt to get Gabriel to calm down a little -- or perhaps just to get the toddler to lower his voice a little. After all, if he was going to be buying anything from the stand today, it would most likely be for Nina to keep, a memento of her first time out to explore her new home as well as her first interaction with somebody that didn't ultimately become family... or was a tech of the facility. In a quieter tone, he replied to the giddy kid with a simple, "I'm not sure yet. We'll see, okay? I'll definitely ask for you're advice on a good one, though." Cupping his chin with a hand as if coming to an important consensus, he added, "After all, you look like you know what you're doing!"
Nina, meanwhile, was briefly starting to wonder whether or not she had said something wrong. Did she come on too strongly in her reaction? Maybe she should have downplayed her surprise, despite being what she truly felt. She couldn't really decipher outwardly-shown expressions too well just yet, unless it was a feeling that she had shared in the past. Hmm... social situations were so strange. She'd just have to go with the flow, though.
She smiled -- that's what people did to try to calm another person down, right? "I probably couldn't do something like that! I bet if I tried, it would fall apart!" she stated with a little laugh. Something she read came to mind, a statement that was shown in a children's book she had glanced over none too long ago, but the exact words escaped her momentarily, "Oh, what was that saying... ahm... 'Practice makes perfect'? Yeah!" There was always room for improvement, and Damien was only starting his life. Nina had yet to really find something she was good at, was really happy with. Damien, however, had already pinpointed something that others would actually buy -- a feat difficult even for most adults. Sure, there was some improvements that could be had, but they were really good, even amazing when one attributed to the fact that Damien wasn't even old enough to enter kindergarten.
Hmm... maybe I'm not so good at this, the spawn-child thought to herself. There were so many thoughts running through her head that had the potential of cheering Damien up, but she lacked the ability to turn these thoughts into verbal words. And now she was getting frustrated with this prospect... this wouldn't do. Huffing slightly, she decided to just keep up the friendly atmosphere, "I'm Nina!" Best to know names, right? This sort of situation was still so alien, but at least she was picking things up.
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Posted: Fri Aug 20, 2010 8:29 pm
Patience that he was, it was definitely not hard to Gabriel to quell at least his outside excitement, still grinning from ear-to-ear over the fact that they had actually found customers. However, that didn't mean that the toddler's enthusiasm was going to diminish at all, and that certainly didn't mean that Gabriel was going to lower his voice, not even a little bit. He was oblivious to why things were going to be bought for them, and didn't honestly care where they would end up, even if they were thrown out. What mattered was that he and Damien were going to make money selling them and that money meant food and food meant that for one or more days, he and his brother wouldn't have to feel sick and tired from morning to night.
Gabriel nodded in the most business like way he knew how when the man replied that he wasn't sure yet, rocking back and forth on his dinosaur-like feet. Despite being patient, there was a certain line a person could draw on anyone, and even a patience child was impatient some of the time. When that kid was homeless and excited for food money was one of those times. When complimented, Gabriel only grinned once again. "I do!! 'Cause me'n'Deminen awe hewe a wot to twy an' find somebody to seww jewlies to! So, why'd you stop'n'wook, mistew?"
Damien's eyes widened slightly when the girl declared that she wouldn't be able to do something like that, and he couldn't resist casting a glance over to his wares on the makeshift table. Was it really that hard? He certainly hadn't needed any real hints; he'd figured it out on his own. Therefore, at least in his mind, it stood to reason that anyone could do something like that, if he could. He turned back and glanced nervously at the ground, scuffing the pavement with his foot. "Oh, I see... Wull, maybe you should start pwacticin'. 'S not too hawd, just put fings togevver 'nd see if dey wook right," he explained with a firm nod.
He blinked when the girl, Nina, suddenly told him her name, but his headwings fluttered, a sure sign that he wasn't nervous or anxious about the situation. He touched his chest gently with a pointed claw, then pointed behind him to his blabbering brother. "'M Daminen, 'nd dat's my bruvver, Gab'rel. So, um..." He paused and let his speech falter, wondering what he should do next. Unlike Gabriel, he wasn't a natural car salesman; he lacked the pride in his work to force it onto other people. Still, he reasoned, he might as well try to help. "Do y'wanna come 'n' havva look at the fings? You c'n buy one, if you wanna."
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Posted: Mon Aug 23, 2010 7:56 pm
Ephron was nodding to the words that Gabriel spoke, but any response that he gave came with a bit of a delay. He didn't want to ask the toddler to repeat what he had just said, so he took the extra time to pause and understand the words on his own. The kid was pretty excited, so the words were starting to run together, but Ephron was masking these pauses by scanning over the items once more.
He seemed concerned, slightly surprised, when Gabriel had said that he and his brother worked the stand often. He was curious to know if they were always alone like this, selling hand-crafted trinkets on the city streets, without anyone looking out for them. They were so young, and spawn from the facility nonetheless; surely they couldn't be on their own, but where was their guardian? It was much too awkward of a question to ask, however, so he faltered. Better to stick with the conversation-at-hand; their guardian was sure to be around in the vicinity, right? He smiled, "You have some very unique things here, and they caught our eyes." Okay, so he was fibbing slightly, but now that they were over here, it was the truth. He indicated the short child behind him with a flick of his head before turning to face her and Damien. He was about to motion for her to come over, but her eyes weren't his way.
Nina lifted her large hands up to her stomach level, twitching her fingers slightly as she looked at them. Hmm... what would I be able to make with them? she mused silently. Did she even have much of an eye for matching things up so they looked okay? Or would she just break the thing she was trying to create? Well, there really wasn't any sense in asking herself about it if she's never even tried before. Glancing back at the stand for a brief moment, she turned back to Damien and gave him a swift nod, "Thanks! Maybe I should try it sometime!" On second thought... "If you keep practicing and getting better, enough to say that they look better after you get done with them than they did before." She grinned; after all, if Damien was already this good and didn't think his own crafts were good enough, what chance did she, a possible newcomer to the skill, have?
Folding her tongue a little inside her mouth, she tried to get a grip of the name that Damien had told her. That's a lot of n's, she thought, unsure if she could get it to sound right. However, it was also not an unheard-of name, much like her own, and it only took her a few moments of respite before she caught on. "Damien?" she asked, wondering if that's the pronunciation she was after. It wasn't everyday that she spoke to a toddler, after all. "It's nice to meet you!" she stated. With the toddler's suggestion, she nodded, "Sure!" She made her way over slowly, however, making sure that Damien was coming over as well.
Ephron scooted over a bit, to allow for a better view of the merchandise for anyone else. Nina was toying with her fingers, unsure if it was alright to pick anything up unless she was buying it; they weren't her's, after all. After a moment's pause, Ephron nudged her slightly, "See anything you like?" She ignored the question for the time being, however, not feeling confident enough to say anything.
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Posted: Fri Oct 15, 2010 8:45 pm
Damien's insides fluttered gently when Nina said that she would try making things sometime, and confused about what the appropriate response was, he merely nodded firmly. His headwings flicked back and forth in small movements, showing his pleasure for having properly convinced someone to do something that he thought would benefit them. He hadn't had to get mad at Nina to try and prove his point, and she hadn't just called his things stupid and said that she would never make things like that. Despite himself, Damien felt an unfamiliar expression - a smile - begin to form on his striped face. Finally, he was starting to be a good person.
Another nod came when Nina confirmed his name, and he blushed lightly when she said it was nice to meet him. Damien couldn't help but wonder why it would be nice to meet him ever, but he supposed that he had given her advice and stuff that had made her happy. Once again, the stomach-flutters; it felt really good to do good things for people. "'S nice t' meetchu too, Nina..." he said quietly, keeping his eyes on the ground. As much as he was getting along with the other spawn, he wasn't comfortable enough to meet her gaze properly. Only his family had that privilege, and it was very unlikely that anyone else would be included.
When Nina walked towards the stall of trinkets, Damien followed reluctantly, anxiety clawing into his stomach where flutters had just been. The fear that she would hate his trinkets once she saw them up close gnawed at him, and so he hung back slightly, standing behind both Nina and her big father. When the man asked Nina what she wanted and received no response, Damien's self-confidence truly began to plummet, and he looked with pleading eyes at Gabriel to do that selly-talky-thing that he did so well. If anyone could convince Nina and her dad that his things were worth buying, it was his brother.
Gabriel certainly had noticed the look that was given to him by his brother, even beyond his bouncing and excitement over the idea that they were actually going to sell something today, meaning that they might actually get hot food for dinner that night. Then again, the only reason he had noticed the look that he was being given was because he had been grinning over at his brother in light of the fact that, again, they were going to get money. Quickly, his expression shifted to slight confusion, head tipping along with one ear and one headwing. His brother didn't usually look so pleading. Ever.
Rationalizing it, however, Gabriel figured that he was just hoping that the two would actually buy his things, so they would, once again, get food that night. So, after giving a thumbs up and a horribly obvious wink toward his brother, he turned himself back toward the two, dropping his hands, palm-down, on the shabby table in front of him, grinning the grin of a car salesman.
"So, d'ya know whatcha wan'na buy, mebbe?" he asked, red eyes flicking back and forth between the father-daughter pair, tail whipping to either side behind him. Looking over the things that sat and hung off odd little stands on the table, he finally picked up a chain necklace that had a molded metal rose dangling from the bottom of it, a large, round marble stuck in its very center. Grinning like the Cheshire cat, he held it up, closing one eye as though he was gauging what it would look like on Nina, before he turned it for her to see, confident in his choice. "Y'know, I think this one'd be weal good and pwetty for you, m'lady!"
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Posted: Sat Nov 27, 2010 9:45 pm
It was difficult to determine which trinket Nina liked better. After all, each one had different attributes that made them unique, made them pretty. She tilted her head at a few of them, a response given when she wasn't entirely sure what they were used for -- some were more obvious when sitting at a different angle, after all. Her eyes tended to linger on those with pieces of glass, mainly because they liked to spit out a kaleidoscope of light a small distance away. But... did she have to pick a favorite?
Ephron realized that the girl was examining each of the pieces, one-by-one; however, he also noticed that the boy that she had been talking with seemed a little nervous about her sudden silence. It was a habit that he had noticed in his short time with Nina: she was very good at getting lost in thought.
The interaction between the two siblings hadn't gone unnoticed by the man, however, and the scene tugged a smile out of him. In an attempt to distract himself from laughing and covering up the grin, he brushed his hand against his mouth again as he scanned over the items as well. Mildly he nudged Nina, as if it were merely a mistake of resituating his stance.
She glanced over to her guardian curiously before she was caught up in a spell, asking herself how long she had been silent. A slightly flustered frown, a little embarrassed over the lack of words she was putting forth, and she quickly tried to make up for it by spouting a quick, "Th-There's a lot that I like!" She fidgeted slightly, her face plastered with an apologetic smile, but she wasn't sure how to arrange the next sentence she had wanted to say.
Luckily, she didn't really have to. Gabriel seemed to be doing a great job, steering the conversation by picking something for her. She grabbed at the area near her neck, in front of her chest, as if that would help her imagine the necklace on herself, "You think so?" Her eyes turned downward, offering the question up to anyone who was willing to answer.
Smile still hidden behind the hand, his eyes betrayed what was underneath. "Hmm..." he pretended to scrutinize the idea, get it picture-perfect in his mind before replying back, though aimed more toward Gabriel, "Y'know... I think you've got something there!"
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